Umbraco search controller based on contenttype controllers. Returns json's as responses.

SearchController.cs

using Newtonsoft.Json;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Web.Mvc;
using Umbraco.Core.Models.PublishedContent;
using Umbraco.Web.Mvc;


namespace YOUR_APP_NAME.Controllers
{
    public abstract class SearchController : RenderMvcController
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// Class meant to facilitate the serialization of the search result
        /// </summary>
        public class SearchElement
        {
            public string Name;
            public string Key;
            public string Id;
            public string Url;
            public float Score;

            public SearchElement(IPublishedContent content, float score)
            {
                Name = content.Name;
                Key = content.Key.ToString();
                Id = content.Id.ToString();
                Score = score;
                Url = content.Url;
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Get the current query from the request
        /// </summary>
        /// <returns>The query</returns>
        protected virtual string GetQuery()
        {
            var query = Request["query"];
            if (query == null)
                query = "";

            return query;
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Get the current language fromt the request. If none is set will search in all
        /// </summary>
        /// <returns>The language to be used in the search</returns>
        protected virtual string GetLanguage()
        {
            var lang = Request["lang"];
            if (lang == null)
                return "*";

            return lang;
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Get the current search results
        /// </summary>
        /// <returns>The serach elements corresponding to what was searched</returns>
        protected virtual IEnumerable<SearchElement> GetResult()
        {
            var query = GetQuery();

            var results = Umbraco.ContentQuery
                            .Search(query, GetLanguage())
                            .Select(x => new SearchElement(x.Content, x.Score))
                            .AsQueryable();

            results = FilterSearch(results);

            return results.ToArray();
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Get the current search as a json string
        /// </summary>
        /// <returns>The json string</returns>
        protected virtual string GetJson()
        {
            return JsonConvert.SerializeObject(GetResult());
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Get the current search response
        /// </summary>
        /// <returns>The response</returns>
        protected virtual ActionResult GetResponse()
        {
            return Content(GetJson(), "application/json");
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Used to filter the search somehow.
        /// You could implement here a filter that gets a variable form the request query
        /// and somehow apply this rule to the response...
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="input">The current search result without being filtered</param>
        /// <returns>The output search results that were filtered</returns>
        protected virtual IQueryable<SearchElement> FilterSearch(IQueryable<SearchElement> input)
        {
            return input;
        }

        [HttpGet]
        public ActionResult Index()
        {
            return GetResponse();
        }
    }
}